SINGAPORE — Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), Dr Chee Soon Juan, has aired a series of complaints against the People’s Action Party (PAP) on his Facebook page on Thursday evening, addressing several controversies involving prominent PAP leaders.
Firstly, Dr Chee questioned the independence of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in light of the ongoing investigation into Minister S Iswaran.
The CPIB reportedly sought the “concurrence” of the Prime Minister (PM) before initiating the formal probe, raising concerns about potential interference in investigations.
“Would investigations proceed if the PM did not give his consent? Can’t the Attorney-General launch an investigation if he sees wrongdoing regardless of the PM’s views?” Dr Chee asked, echoing the widespread sentiment from his supporters.
The CPIB is a government agency under the Prime Minister’s Office, operating with functional independence and is helmed by a director who reports to the Prime Minister.
In addition to this, Dr Chee also highlighted the recent controversy surrounding Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, who have been accused of renting luxurious government-owned bungalows, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Both ministers were subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing in reviews conducted by CPIB and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean.
Dr Chee reiterated SDP’s call for an independent Commission of Inquiry to examine these issues. “The more the PAP resists the move, the more questions it raises in the minds of Singaporeans,” he wrote.
Dr Chee also commented on a series of behavioural issues among the parliament members. Notably, he called out Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin for a recent incident in which he cursed at a fellow member under his breath. Despite an apology, Dr Chee believes consideration should be given to Mr Tan’s replacement.
He also addressed issues surrounding Mr Tan’s deputy, Christopher de Souza, who was recently found guilty by the Law Society of assisting a client in suppressing evidence in a legal case.
Furthermore, Dr Chee noted an incident in which Leader of the House Indranee Rajah had raised a file and brought it down in anger during a Parliamentary session, as well as an instance where Minister Balakrishnan was caught calling an opposition MP “illiterate”.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Chee expressed concern about the current state of Singapore’s political leadership.
“When a country is ruled by one and the same party for nearly six decades – all this time without an effective opposition – is it any wonder that political decay begins to set in?” he queried, signalling the deepening political rift within Singapore’s leadership.
